HOLLYWOOD — AFI Fest sure did put
together an awkward bloc of scheduling Tuesday night at the Egyptian
Theatre. A moving story of a civil rights leader who was gunned down by a
sniper followed by… "American Sniper," directed by a guy who talks to a chair and hates Obama. OK, that's a little unfair, but after Chris Rock's zinger Saturday night,
it was sort of hard for my mind not to go there with two films that
deal with political ideologies in both overt and subtextual ways.
Nevertheless, the onus was on Warner Bros. after Paramount finally
vacated the theater around 8:30pm. Because anyone asked to follow Ava DuVernay's "Selma"
would be facing a tall order as the film landed like some sort of game
changer in this year's Oscar race. Honestly, I'm not convinced the
studio knew what it had on its hands, but that sigh you hear is one of
relief after "Interstellar" failed to catch fire. Fresh off a pair of
successful indie productions, DuVernay did not bite off more than she
could chew and brought an assured, tender vision to this contained slice
of Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy. Early scenes at times felt
over-reaching, information being explicitly delivered where it need not
be, but when it settled into its groove it just got better, and better,
and better, and better.
DuVernay has worked with cinematographer Bradford Young — already praised up one side and down the other in this space for another 2014 AFI Fest debut, "A Most Violent Year"
— since her first feature film. Here, his work soars again. Simple
frames really just aren't so simple to him, capturing intriguing angles
that tell the story without words, sun-kissed lighting making the
imagery something to behold. The editing is precise and compelling
throughout, particularly a sequence depicting the infamous Edmund Pettus
Bridge incident, the film an intriguing tapestry of sound and image on
quite a few occasions. Mainly, though, this is a film of its moment in
striking ways, with voter rights under fire as I type these words.
David Oyelowo is stirring and uncanny as King, a role he seems to
have been born to play. He has a solid bead on a spot in the Best Actor
five, but he'll have to work for it to cut through the competition. Just
last year, one of Hollywood's favored sons, Tom Hanks, missed for a
beloved performance in a Best Picture nominee. Nothing is ever assured.
But I like Oyelowo's chances, particularly since the film feels like a
solid contender across a number of races, including Best Picture and
Best Director. (And how wonderful it would be if two female directors
were nominated this year, Angelina Jolie for "Unbroken" potentially
being the other.)
Elsewhere, Tim Roth is great as the slimy Governor George Wallace, though he doesn't have enough scenes to really penetrate. Tom Wilkinson's
accent goes in and out as Lyndon Johnson, but the evolution of his
position on the Voter Rights Act is fascinating to watch and makes him
an intriguing foil. So that could be enough to garner him some awards
attention. The Common/John Legend track "Glory" that plays over the
closing credits is also quite extraordinary, though it was difficult to
hear it over the on-going applause that even people standing in line for
"American Sniper" outside could hear through the walls of the Egyptian.
Speaking of which, Clint Eastwood's film is…OK. It's sort of flat, a series of tense battle scenes (some familiar, all compelling) strung together tenuously by Sienna Miller's work in a thankless role that pretty much equates to being pregnant and worried on the phone a lot. But Bradley Cooper
is great as real-life hero Chris Kyle, playing it in a low key with a
soothing southern twang, drawn up and more and more battle-hardened as
the film progresses.

Eastwood's American Sniper is a familiar mainstream war pic w/ strong perf by Cooper. Maybe doesn't break on through to Oscar side.
— Anne Thompson (@akstanwyck) November 12, 2014

Shocked at a few peeps' tepid assessments of the prospects of AMERICAN SNIPER. Couldn’t disagree more. This puppy’s in it for the long haul.
— Scott Feinberg (@ScottFeinberg) November 12, 2014

I don’t think much changed tonight in the award season.
— David Poland (@DavidPoland) November 12, 2014

Clint buried the lede with American Sniper. Understand why but an opportunity was missed. One that the war scenes hinted at.
— Sasha Stone (@AwardsDaily) November 12, 2014